Exeter is predicted to be the UK’s top performing city for spending in shops and restaurants in 2018. The new UK Powerhouse report into The Consumer Economy 2018/2019 tracks economic growth in 44 cities across the country and offers policy recommendations for the future.

This special edition focuses on the consumer sector, including retail, tourism and leisure, and restaurants and bars.. 

Here are the key findings relating to Exeter:

• The report suggests that Exeter will experience the biggest consumer GVA growth by the end of the year at 3%, ahead of Bristol and Edinburgh.
• In terms of consumer-related employment, Exeter was in 16th place in Q4 2017, with growth of 1.8 per cent.
• It is also in the top three cities for forecast increased employment growth by Q4 of 2018 at 3.4%, following York and Cambridge
• The South West England university cities of Bristol and Exeter performed well in Q4 2017, with a high level of growth in GVA in the consumer sector placing them both in the top five in the Consumer Powerhouse table

To view the whole report please visit: https://www.irwinmitchell.com/ukpowerhouse/consumer